4, Derrick McPhearson, 6-0, 195, Fr., Hyattsville, Md./Dematha/Fork Union, Expect top receiver in class to return from broken leg by Cal game, if not sooner

44, Brit Miller, 6-1, 230, Fr., Decatur/Eisenhower, Smart guy played quarterback, running back, linebacker for 2004 state playoff qualifiers

It's been a whirlwind three months for the former Southern Illinois coach, who took over when Bill Self left for Kansas.

"What's that old saying about being careful what you wish for?" Weber said. "Well, that's what happened."

Waived by the Bucks on Wednesday, a month after taking the job, former Illini Gill said his basketball days are over. And his life is just beginning.

"I'm done," Gill said. "I don't want to play anymore. It's not a bitter me not wanting to play. It's time for me to move on. The fire that made me me is no longer there. I knew this summer it wasn't there. I wanted to end my career knowing I could play at a high level. With the Bucks, I proved that."

Once a month, we'll take a look back at memorable Illini moments through the covers of News-Gazette sports sections. Today: the 2004-05 Illini's amazing march to the Final Four, where their bid for a national championship came up one win short.

A gearhead for as long as he's been a basketball junkie, Williams has sprung for an unsurprising indulgence: a brand-new Lincoln Navigator, custom painted in white fading to silver and sporting 24-inch rims on the tires and a thumping stereo system

"I've been waiting for that," he says. "Definitely been wanting a nice ride."

I view Bill Self's departure differently from many Illini fans. Like Lon Kruger, John Mackovic and other 'professional' coaches, Self is a traveling soldier in the business and saw a chance to take a more lucrative, tradition-rich job located closer to where he wants to live. I think Self deserves praise from Illini Nation for providing the UI with the players Bruce Weber has woven into a national title contender, just as Kruger deserves praise for lining up Brian Cook and the Peorians who helped Self win two Big Ten co-championships.

CHAMPAIGN - It was the weekend, and Quinton Watkins had plans to sleep in. The Illinois freshman, a guard on the basketball team, was still beat from the long trip from his home in southern California.

His roommate at Illini Tower, a residence hall on campus, had not yet arrived.

As commissioner David Stern prepared to announce the No. 3 pick in Tuesday's NBA draft, he stopped and made a pause that seemed to last forever. At the time, Deron Williams didn't know what to think.

"I just didn't know what was going on," Williams said. "I didn't know if there was a trade or something; I was just waiting. Maybe he didn't know what he was doing, maybe he had to go back and find out who was picked."